The Burnaby Board of Trade is leading the ‘Business Recovery Task Force’ to guide the rebuilding of the local economy impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The Task Force, composed of senior representatives from the City of Burnaby, major employers, small businesses, non-profits, and post-secondary institutions, will identify actions that can help businesses cope with the ongoing crisis, plan their recovery once current COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed or lifted, and ultimately rebuild the local economy for the long-term.

This initiative, led by the Burnaby Board of Trade, the City’s chamber of commerce and economic development organization, and facilitated by the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, will develop a strategy for both short-term support and long-term economic recovery following the business closures and curtailments brought on by COVID-19 and subsequent public health restrictions.

“Our business community doesn’t just need support now, it needs a roadmap to rebuild and recover from this crisis. Our local economy was strong before and with the right plan it can regain that strength again,” said Paul Holden, President & CEO of the Burnaby Board of Trade. “Given how the business community and the community at large are intrinsically linked, it is key that we bring together a broad-based team representing business, education, government, and community groups to lead the way forward. I’m incredibly optimistic about what we can do by working together for our business community.”

The initial mandate of the Business Recovery Task Force will include 10 virtual meetings starting in the beginning of May and lasting 6-8 weeks, and during this time will work on the following actions:

Mapping economic impacts and areas of need for Burnaby businesses

Creating a vision and principles to guide Burnaby’s economic recovery and the work of the Task Force

Identifying quick-starts that can begin immediately to fill critical needs

Surfacing potential strategies that can support the current stabilization, short-term recovery and longer term rebuilding of Burnaby’s economy

Developing an action plan and next steps, including the Task Force’s role going-forward